To begin the offseason, the New York Jets lost a bright young talent.
uStadium had tweeted on X that Gang Green was interested in signing defensive back Trey Dean “to a futures deal.” However, he was “offered” a contract by many playoff teams to finish his 2023 season in a different uniform.
He eventually decided to join the Kansas City Chiefs. Dean, according to uStadium, is “eligible and expected to play in the postseason.”
Source: #Chiefs are signing S Trey Dean.
Dean spent the season on the #Jets practice squad. #Jets wanted to sign Dean to a futures deal but multiple playoff teams offered him a deal to sign. KC was the best fit and he ends up with the champs. pic.twitter.com/GEAew7kyF9
— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) January 15, 2024
Dean appeared to corroborate the news by reposting a tweet about his new home with the Chiefs.
Another one has perished.
With Dean gone, the Jets now have more issues than solutions at safety. This offseason, three additional safeties on the roster are set to become unrestricted free agents.
Ashtyn Davis, Jordan Whitehead, and Chuck Clark are about to enter the open market. If that stays true, the Jets will be down to two safeties: Tony Adams and Jarrick Bernard-Converse.
In 2024, the green and white will have to either blow up the position or bring back numerous of their own players.
This offseason, the Jets have a lot of work to do at safety. They can, however, feel assured that they have secured at least one of the initial gigs.
After his name was not called in the 2022 NFL draft, Adams was signed as an undrafted free agent. The Jets brass raised a lot of heads in the days leading up to final roster cuts when they elected to keep the unheralded former Illinois product.
Adams “unseated a bunch of guys we all thought were going to make the team” in August, according to head coach Robert Saleh.
#Jets HC Robert Saleh admitted that ‘I guess the cats coming out of the bag’ on DB Tony Adams (@Iwill_suceed20), ‘unbelievable mental makeup’ + ‘undrafted free agent [that] unseated a bunch of guys we all thought were going to make the team’ + ‘made it impossible for us to cut… pic.twitter.com/E2bNycibWk
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) July 26, 2023
The coaching staff was so impressed with Adams’ performance this offseason that he was given the veteran treatment.
It wasn’t a question whether he’d make the final 53-man roster. Instead, because he was a sure-fire starter, the Jets rested him in preseason games.
“I guess the cat’s out of the bag,” Saleh said of how much they love Adams and what he represents to the club.
This past season was his first opportunity to be a full-time starter in the NFL, and he did not let anyone down. Adams appeared in 15 of 17 games, recording three interceptions, five pass deflections, and over 82 tackles.
He was far from a perfect player. Throughout the season, he shown multiple inconsistencies in tackling, putting the club in perilous situations.
However, Adams has the Jets in a wonderful situation in terms of cap space heading forward. Adams, 24, will be under team control in 2024 for less than a million dollars. He will be a restricted free agent in 2025. The talented defensive back will not be able to enter the open market until 2026.
NFL teams who unearth undrafted free-agent stars are rewarded with long-term inexpensive labor. The Jets were one of the lucky ones in that regard, and Adams should only improve with more reps.
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